Raising a politically-explosive issue for the first time this election, Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) campaign accused Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) this morning of invoking the specter of race in order to bolster his electoral prospects.

The charge came in reaction to comments the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee had made at three separate stops in Missouri Wednesday, where Obama suggested Republicans were trying to scare voters away from him.

"So nobody really thinks that Bush or McCain have a real answer for the challenges we face, so what they're going to try to do is make you scared of me," he told voters in Springfield. "You know, he's not patriotic enough. He's got a funny name. You know, he doesn't look like all those other Presidents on those dollar bills, you know. He's risky. That's essentially the argument they're making." continue

Watch the Hardball clip below. Michelle Bernard and Bob Shrum sums it up perfectly. This race question is the question that the McCain, Bush and Company wanted to open. Obama makes fun of how the Republicans and McCain want to make him scary to Americans, made fun that he is not like the other presidents on the one and five dollar bill.

The McCain Campaign pounced.

My take is this, by opening this door the dark path is what the Republicans will go down. Also, to open this particular door so early, means they are concerned about their chances in November and that McCain can not hold his own on the issues because he is tied, deeply to the Bush Brand.

What will happen is one of the two, the public will turn racism's ugly head and ignore it, or it will drive a wedge in this country for many decades to come.

I believe that this country is ready to turn the page for good. Racism is this nation's ugly head and it does need to be buried for good. Is electing Obama doing this? No, but it is a symbolism of change in this country. Change that any person or gender can become the next President of the United States. Change that the United States of America is ready to move forward and not backwards.

Lastly, John McCain is not calling the shots in own campaign and thus he has been relegated to going down a very dangerous path here, one I did not expect him to take. I don't believe he is very proud of these ads, or making race an issue. Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) even said that McCain can not be proud of his ads or how his campaign is being run. She phoned into MSNBC and stated the following:

“Some Bush-Rove guys have gotten in the back room and hijacked his campaign,” McCaskill asserted on MSNBC. “And they think that they can actually win the White House right now in America by doing nothing but trying to put down Barack Obama? I think they are really underestimating the American people.”

What will John McCain do for this country? What are his plans? So, far he seems consumed with Barack Obama and what he will do. What kind of leadership is that? Is McCain even a leader? But more importantly, do we want this back in the White House?

The Obama campaign already has a page on its Web site dedicated to debunking attacks from viral e-mails and other sources called, “Fight The Smears.” Plouffe clarified that this new site would be solely used to “correct mistruths” coming directly from the McCain campaign.

Aides also emphasized that even some Republicans are questioning McCain’s tone and tactics. Susan Eisenhower, president of the Eisenhower Group (and Ike’s granddaughter), added, “These kind of comments and innuendos have no place in a presidential campaign of this importance.”

On the ‘Celeb’ ad, Plouffe slammed the McCain campaign for its negative turn and called McCain’s latest ad “frivolous,” while claiming that he has abandoned issues for rhetoric.

"What he’s offering voters is increasingly harsh character attacks … I think voters did expect different from John McCain,” Plouffe said. He also suggested McCain’s negative strategy would harm his image among independents.

"The road he’s on right now, he’s going to quickly erode that political capital, which is very hard capital to build up,” Plouffe said. “He seems to sink to new lows everyday."

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